buchan



vc. L. BHEHIO. WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY l, |920. 1,382,268.

Patented J une 21, 1921.

2 SHEETS--SIIEEI I.

Flaw

@l marvurr' C. L. BREHiO.

WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION r|LED1uLY7.1s2o.

Patented June 21; 1921.

2 SHEETS- SHEET 2.

@ark/Z. Ere/Em. 6./ mw

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WASHING-MACHINE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented June 21, 1921.

Application led July 7, 1920. Serial No. 394,449.

T o all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES L. BREHIO, acitizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county ofV'Vorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefulVVashing-Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a washing machine capable of being operated byhand. Although the principle can be made use of with the application ofpower, it is intended mainly as a hand machine, and the principalobjects are to provide a convenient and simple arrangement which can beused in an ordlnary set or other tub if desired and will effect thethorough washing of the clothes; and to provide a device which can beadjusted up and down for different quantities of clothing, and one whichcontains very few parts and is extremely7 inexpensive. Further objectsand advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1is a sectional view of a tub with a preferred embodiment of thisinvention applied thereto, showing in dotted and full lines twopositions of the operating parts during the operation of the device;

Fig, 2 is a similar view showing the parts in normal position andillustrating in dotted lines how the device can be moved up out ofbtheway for taking the clothes out of the tu Fig. 3 is a sectional viewtaken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 showing one end of the device, and

Fig. 4 is a plan of the same.

This invention is adapted to be applied to any kind of a wash tub, and Ihave shown it as being detachably connected with and located in a settub 10 of well known design.

For the purpose of connecting it with one of the walls of the tub IhaveJ shown two brackets 11, each being adapted to be secured to oneupper edge of the tub by a hand screw 12, and two projections 13 formedon the bracket. Each bracket has a perforation therethrough in whichoperates a rod 14. This rod has a stop 15 on the end of the bracket andbelow it is a slide 16 adapted to be set in any adjusted position byarthumb screw 17.

Between the slide and the underside of the bracket is a spring 18 whichObviously forces the rod down and yieldingly resists its elevation. Thespring is light enough, however, to permit of the rod being raised inthe manner to be described herein.

Each of the rods is pivotally connected through a pin 19 with a bracket20. These two brackets 2O are mounted on the top of a platform which isformed of a plurality of parallel horizontal longitudinal pieces 21 andthree cross pieces 22 1n the form shown. The brackets are secured to oneof the cross pieces at one end of the device.

This platform has located on the three cross pieces a sheet of metal asfor example, galvanized iron, which forms a top flat piece 23. This isscrewed or nailed down to the wooden cross pieces, and its side members24 are bent down between them so as to form an air chamber 25 extendinsubstantially the full Width of the plat orm, and ext-ending from onecross piece to the other above.

The longitudinal pieces 21 are spaced apart and constitute the means forengaging the clothing or other articles to be washed. These have spacesbetween them of considerable width for a purpose to be described andthese spaces communicate with the air spaces 25 above mentioned.

Mounted on the two cross pieces located at the center and opposite endof the platform is a bracket 26. This is preferably screwed in positionin any convenient way. It is provided with an upright guide 27 whichslants upwardly and with a guiding lug 28 cast on it and locatedcentrally in alinement with the guide 27. This guide 27 is also providedwith a notch 29. This bracket is designed for supporting a handle 30.This handle has a downwardly projecting portion 31 substantially atright angles to the handle proper and this has a slot in which the guide27 is adapted to fit. This handle also has a projecting portion 32having an open ended slot at the end for engaging the lug 28 when thehandle is forced down over the guide to hold the two parts together. Itis also provided with a spring catch pin 33 adapted to engage in thenotch 29 to prevent the accidental displacement of the parts. In thisway the handle can be slid into place and will become self-lockedtherein without any attention on the part of the operator, but in orderto remove the handle it 1s necessary to pull out the spring latch 33 andthus withdraw the latter from the notch. Then the handle can 'be drawnoff.

In the operation of the device the clothes are placed in the tub andsufficient water admitted. Then the parts are placed inl position asindicated in Fig. 2, the slides 16 being raised or lowered as may benecessary to permit of the platform resting freely on top of theclothes. Now the operator manipulates the handle by moving it up anddown. When he moves. it up the suction caused by trying to raise one ofthe air chambers 25 out of the water will resist this action and theplatform will swingto the position marked A in Fig. l. On the contrarywhen he forces the handle down that end of the platform will tend tosink and the other end to rise, so that it. will assume the positionmarked B in Fig. '1 or substantially that. This operation is repeatedcontinuously as long as may be necessary. The washing action is securedby the oscillation of the platform and the suction produced by movingthe air chambers in the upper part of it. The suction sets up currentsof water and also tends to move the clothes. It is operated positivelyon one side and by the springs 18 on the other resisting the upwardmotion of that end ofthe platform. It has been found in practice thatthis is a convenient and simple, as well as inexpensive, way to providefor washing. It is clear also that it is adjustable for washings ofdifferent sizes, because the platform can be raised in accordance withthe adjustment of the slides 16. lVhen the washing is finished thehandle is removed in the manner above specified and the platform swungback into the position shown in dotted lines at C in Fig. 2. Then thewashing can be taken out and if desired the whole device can be removedvery readily to be dried or cleaned.

Although I have illustrated and described only a single form of theinvention I am aware of the fact that modifications can be made thereinby any person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of theinvention as expressed in the claims. Therefore I do not wish to belimited to all the details of construction herein shown and described,but what I do claim is 1. In a washing machine, the combination of amovable platform having two air chambers at opposite ends opening belowthe water, whereby when either end of the platform is raised suctionwill be produced to cause circulation of the water, means for yieldinglysupporting one end of the platform adjacent to one of said chambers, andmeans at the other end of the platform adjacent to the other chamber bywhich said other end can be raised and lowered.

2. In a washing machine, the combination with a' container for the waterand clothes, of an oscillatable platform adapted to rest on the clothesin the water and having spaced longitudinal bars constituting the lowersurface of the platform and two air chambers each communicating with thespaces between the bars and located above them.

3. In a washing machine, the combination with a container for the waterand clothes7 of a platform adapted to rest on the clothes in the waterand having longitudinal bars at the lower side spaced apart and havingtwo end air chambers communicating with said spaces and located abovethem, a handle at one end for oscillating said platform by alternatelyraising and lowering said end positively, and yielding means forsupporting the other end to permit of its moving oppositely to the endwhich is positively moved.

4. In a washing machine, the combination with a container for the waterand clothes, of a platform adapted to rest on the clothes in the water,a handle for moving one end of said platform up and down, a bracketadjustably connected with the opposite end of the container, a rodslidably mounted in said bracket, a slide adjustable up and down therod, a spring mounted between the slide and bracket, and means forpivotally connecting the rod to the platform at said opposite end.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto aHiXed my signature.

CHARLES L. BREHIO.

